Maritzburg College surprise Michaelhouse

Before a huge crowd on Goldstone’s Maritzburg College beat powerful Michaelhouse 25-14 on Saturday.

Michaelhouse came into this match, played on the occasion of College’s Reunion Day, unbeaten and strong favourites. With six KZN players in their team, five in the backline, they clearly had the talent to win and their previous results against common opponents were significantly superior to College’s.

For the first time ever, though, the Craven Week team had contained no College players and they had a point to prove. Their curiosity piqued by all these factors, as well as by the dearth of schoolboy rugby in the province in recent weeks, owing to the teachers’ strike, a massive crowd of about 7000 turned up to watch the proceedings.

From the kick off, College took the game to their opponents and never allowed them to settle. The forwards were industrious and, particularly at the collision points, outplayed the Michaelhouse pack.

The College backline was continuously in Michaelhouse’s faces and laid the speedy backline low with ferocious tackling.

With the ball, College drove forward at every opportunity, committing the Michaelhouse forwards to a highly physical encounter and placing their defence under enormous pressure.

While always in the game, Michaelhouse simply could not create the time and space they needed to weave their magic and were hustled into error.

Early penalties left College with a 6-3 lead and then a converted try, late in the first half, stretched the lead even further.

Even though Michaelhouse closed the gap with their second penalty, a half-time lead of 13-6 to College just about reflected the balance of the play.

Michaelhouse started the second half strongly and were rewarded with a third penalty to narrow the deficit to four points, but a further converted try to College, after inexorable pressure and one forward drive after another, put them more than a single score clear.

With ten minutes left, Michaelhouse raised their hopes when their only period of territorial supremacy in the half brought them an unconverted try, but College had the final word when another sustained drive and excellent passing brought them a try on the final whistle.

It had been an excellent, often thrilling, contest. College had certainly produced their finest performance of the season, both on attack and on defence, and were deserved 25-14 victors.